Throughout our lives, we lose countless things. We lose trivial things like toys, pencils, our favorite shirt, and car keys. But we also lose really important and irreplaceable things, like pets, friends, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other amazing people and things that we never imagined living life without, until we are forced to.
I've lost the tribal things, and I'm sure you have too. While I have been fortunate enough to never lose a parent, I have lost something that is irreplaceable—my Nana.
I never realized how much of a role my Nana played into my family until she was no longer here. It was kind of shocking how quickly our once close-knit family fell apart. Thinking about it now, I think the last time we were all under one roof was the day of her funeral. After that, everything was different.
Everyone went their own way. We had no one organizing dinners and parties, so we all stopped trying. We all stopped seeing each other, and in a way, I can justify why we did that. Our rock was gone. The glue of our family was no longer there. And no matter how much we continue to try, there is something missing.
When you lose a grandparent, you realize just how important they are to not only you, but also every member of your family. Your visits with them change from driving to their house to driving to the cemetery, and the older you get, the more you find yourself wishing you could pick up the phone and call them to ask a question, or just to say hello.
Though we wish we didn't have to lose them to realize these things, we did, and we will continue to do so.
